Quick answer: Laundry Workers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #141 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 48/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and pace and demands.
Laundry Workers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands26.2 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden56.1 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands60.1 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control48.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony62.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment34.3 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for laundry workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, laundry workers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (48.8 vs 24.5 average) and pace and demands (60.1 vs 56 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is responsible for others' health and safety at 81.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 57.3.
The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (26.2 vs 37.9), precision and monotony (62.5 vs 67.7) and physical environment (34.3 vs 38.2), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for laundry workers
- 1Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
81.5/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 2Pace and demands
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
78/100
All-occupation average: 23.1
- 3Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
73.2/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 4Pace and demands
Time Pressure
72.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 5Responsibility burden
Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
68.5/100
All-occupation average: 58.5
All 22 stress factors for laundry workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
26.2 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People12.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People39.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations27.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
56.1 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results68.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety81.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results62.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error23 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others45.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
60.1 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure72.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week43.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment78 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making45.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition60.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
48.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions52 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work45.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
62.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks51.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate73.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
34.3 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable25.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting15.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures23.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections54.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity53 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for laundry workers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Schedule and Hours →The arrangement of working time and its effect on health and recovery.
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Laundry Workers: how stressful is the job?
Laundry Workers rank #141 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 48/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 55.5% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for laundry workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are responsible for others' health and safety (81.5/100), pace determined by speed of equipment (78/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (73.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in pace and demands and lack of control.
Which stress factors are lower for laundry workers?
Laundry Workers score below the national average for emotional demands (26.2 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (56.1 vs 60 average) and precision and monotony (62.5 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (34.3 vs 38.2 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for laundry workers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.